A place of retreat for this mother of seven (currently fighting Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer) to speak on the joys and challenges of life for a Catholic family immersed in American culture.

Thursday, July 26, 2007

The Final Harry Potter Book... (don't worry, no spoilers here)

...is the reason I have not blogged all week. I have been devouring it, reading until 1 or 2 in the morning simply because I could not put it down.

I had an eye infection yesterday that completely shut down my right eye. Did that stop me? No. I squinted at the book through the other eye as I waited to see the doctor.

Everything in my life ground to a halt as I finished the book I have been breathlessly waiting for, thinking about, trying to predict, ever since the shocking conclusion to the Half Blood Prince.

I absolutely loved the Harry Potter books and am sad that this is last one. I can't remember the last time I was so excited to read! These books, meant for older kids but every bit as appealing to adults, are clever, funny, exciting and completely original. Though they are, at their most basic level, yet another stage for the classic battle of good versus evil, reading them seems to put me in the genre for the very first time.

J.K. Rowling did not disappoint in this, her final Harry Potter book I will not say anything at all that could possibly be a spoiler for someone who has not yet read the book, so all I will say is WOW! What a great ride these books have been and I am happy to have been a part of it.

As a faithful Catholic, I have no objection to these books. They are pure fiction. I don't think anyone who reads them could possibly think they are seriously advocating magic and witchcraft. Rather, they are a fantasy-trip through a fun, sometimes scary world where people can do all sorts things we have all wished we could do from time to time: disappear, silence others, automatically clean our homes and cook. This is no different from a flying fantasy in my view, and who hasn't wished they could fly!? Yes, the books are dark in places, as Harry and his friends try to conquer pure evil. But this is no different that the real evil that exists in our world. The message throughout the books is a good one: don't succumb to evil, even when it seems to be the easiest or only path. Instead, fight it against all odds and at any cost. Keep your guard up and stay true to truth. Isn't this exactly what I am trying to teach my children?

Thank you, J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter, for the past 96 hours of pure, wonderful, fantasy. Now, back to the laundry.

4 comments:

Jen Savard
said...

Hannah received her book delivered to our doorstep the day it came out but has not even opened one page. Odd or maybe totally crazy you say. She is but not because of that!!! She doesn't want the journey to end. If she reads it then it is over,done,kaput,finito!!

I loved it too...... Finished it last night. Michael gets home from the Mexico trip tonight and I wasn't supposed to read it while he was gone - i tried, honest i did!! Then I thought I'll just read a few chapters, he just didn't want me to spoil anything at all for him, so what harm could just a few chapters cause. Then i convinced myself, it's ok, i just won't finish it, then i won't know the end, he can start it and i will finish it as he does. Mmmm Hmmm - riiiiight - J. K. Rowling certainly did not dissapoint...

I read the book this week too. I was very surprised and a little disappointed, but I think I was just projecting too much of my expectations on the book. I liked six better though.

As for the Catholic viewpoint, I agree that we can read them and not be condemned or anything. I will read them with my kids when they get older and have discussions about them, but I'm not worried about having them in my house as an invitation to evil or anything. I do think we have to be sure to stress that magic (as in spells and such, not circus magic) in the real world is always evil, or an opening to evil, unlike in HP. But overall I think the lessons to be learned from the book outweigh any potential dangers.